Vaghareli Rotli

Vaghareli Rotli
Vaghareli Rotli is an easy, quick snack or light meal prepared from leftover rotli/roti, yogurt and spices.
Remembering my Mum
My mum was a very good cook where traditional Gujarati dishes were concerned. Actually, can’t remember her ever wanting to try out the new western dishes like pizza, tacos, burgers etc. Instead, she left that to my kaki (aunt) and me to try out during the weekends. One of my mum’s dishes loved by all was vaghareli rotli. Best ever comfort food for my siblings and cousins. All of us have tried to make it like mum’s but there is still something missing. I think its simply the love that she added. This simple dish is a popular meal in our household.
Some of Mum’s Recipes that I love:
- Going to watch movies at the Drive In meant that handvo would be on the menu. My mum made handvo on the sigri (jiko).
- Sunday brunch or afternoon tea time whenever we were not going out to watch a movie mum would make tikhi puri. For the adults it was served with masala tea and for the kids with Milo milk.
- Mum’s favorite were matar kachoriand lilva ni kachori.
- Her idea of pasta was with to prepare it like an Indian curry, with tempering, turmeric, chillis, the works. And it was an absolute treat for us. We called it Mum’s Buitoni.
- Mum’s Dhebras was what the whole family loved.
- Flaky Maida na Parotha with homemade pickle was another breakfast treat.
- My mum loved making super crispy and flaky farsi purias my dad loved it so much. Remember helping her to smear the rolled dough with the paste.
A bit about Vaghareli Rotli
Vaghareli in Gujarati means tempered. We generally add mustard and cumin seeds with a bit of garlic, ginger and green chillis. Rotli is roti, a wheat flatbread. Rotli is a staple in most Gujarati homes so its common to find that one will often have leftover rotlis at home. Vaghareli rotli can be a snack time meal tasting yummy when sprinkled with a bit of chevdo, bhusu or sev or it can be a wholesome but light dinner meal. God save you if you have to share it with my brother! Its his all time favourite meal on this earth. If he is around, you ain’t getting any!
Ingredients required for Vaghareli Rotli
- Leftover rotli – roti, wheat flatbread. You can even used leftover tortilla.
- Oil – any of your choice.
- Mustard Seeds – rai
- Cumin Seeds – jeera, jeeru
- Turmeric Powder – haldi, hardar
- Asafetida – hing
- Fresh Ginger – I like to use in the paste form or grated
- Green Chillis – use minced or chopped into rings
- Garlic – can used sliced or minced
- Sour Yogurt – sour yogurt adds more flavour to the dish. However, If you don’t have any use plain yogurt.
- Water – depending on how much curry you want
- Salt
- Fresh Coriander – dhania , cilantro. Washed and chopped
Watch How To Make Vaghareli Rotli

VAGHARELI ROTLI
Ingredients
- 6-8 rotli, roti
- 1 cup sour plain yogurt whisked
- 2-3 cups water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 4-6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 tsp ginger paste
- 1-2 green chillis, sliced
- ¾ -1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ⅛ tsp asafetida optional
- 3 tbsp fresh coriander chopped
Instructions
- Put oil in a saucepan and let it get a bit hot over medium heat.
- In the meantime tear the rotlis into bite size pieces.
- When the oil is ready, add mustard and cumin seeds to it.
- When the mustard seeds crackle, add the chopped garlic. Stir fry till it turns a bit pink.
- Add the chilli and ginger paste. Add the turmeric powder and asafetida.
- Add the rotli pieces. Mix well. Let the rotli pieces cook for a minute or two.
- Add the salt and water. Mix. Let it come to a gentle boil.
- Lower the heat and add the whisked yogurt. Mix well. Let the mixture become hot but don't let it boil.
- Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.
Notes
- Whenever you make roti, rotli, store the leftovers in the freezer. When you have enough, make this easy delicious snack.
- Can use leftover paratha, tortilla.
- For a more creamier consistency, use more yogurt.
- Add water according to how thick or watery you want the vaghareli rotli to be.
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A little request:
If you do try this recipe then please either
- add a comment below,
- send a picture to my email mayuri.ajay.patel62@gmail.com
- tag me as #mayuri_jikoni on Instagram
- or tag me on Twitter as #Mayuri1962
46 Comments
Namrata
January 9, 2012 at 6:04 am
Oh yummmy!!! I want too!!!
Pavani N
October 26, 2017 at 9:08 pm
That is such an interesting recipe with leftover rotlis. Mom's dishes are always the BEST 🙂
sushma
October 27, 2017 at 12:37 am
New to me, but look so yummy
Nandita Gupta
October 27, 2017 at 6:09 am
That's such a nice tribute to your mother! Loved the write up too!
Priya Suresh
October 27, 2017 at 4:52 pm
Vaghareli roti looks like a super comforting meal, prefect way to finish leftover rotis, lovely dish there Mayuri.
Jagruti Dhanecha
October 27, 2017 at 8:28 pm
I am sure every gujju household have their own version of Vaghareli rotli recipe, in my family hubby is a huge fan of this, but I don't add garlic, I must try your recipe one day.
Indfused Sandhya Rege Nadkarni
October 28, 2017 at 2:27 am
Nice tribute to your mom Mayuri. Love the recipe.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:03 pm
Thank you Sandhya.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:04 pm
Yes I'm sure most Gujjus have their version. Some even prepare the same recipe replacing the roti with bajra rotla.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Yes Priya, its a way to finish of leftover rotlis, but sometimes I make them to make this dish.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:05 pm
Thank you Nandita.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:06 pm
Try it Sushma, am sure you'll like it.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:06 pm
They sure are Pavani… miss her cooking.
Mayuri Patel
October 28, 2017 at 3:06 pm
coming soon to make it for you.
Sapana Behl
October 28, 2017 at 7:05 pm
Vagherali roti sounds m kind of dish. I even love adding bites of roti in curry and eat that way.
jayashree
October 29, 2017 at 1:32 am
Nice recipe, a heirloom one. Looks delicious.
Mayuri Patel
October 30, 2017 at 11:34 am
Thank you Jayashree
I Camp in my Kitchen
October 30, 2017 at 12:10 pm
Wow nice snack with rotis dear! Looks delicious!
Archana Potdar
October 30, 2017 at 1:21 pm
Wow I have heard about vagherali roti but reading about this yummy dish now. Mums are the best.
THEYELLOWDAAL RECIPES
October 30, 2017 at 5:05 pm
Indeed an interesting recipe😗
Mireille Roc (@ChefMireille)
October 14, 2019 at 3:04 am
This looks so good – A great use of the leftover roti!
mayurisjikoni
October 14, 2019 at 8:59 pm
Thanks Mireille. My favourite.
Jolly
October 15, 2019 at 2:38 pm
Never heard about it, totally new to me. That is such an interesting recipe with leftover rotis, Simple and delicious. Wonderful share.
mayurisjikoni
October 16, 2019 at 8:27 pm
Thanks Jolly, its a very Gujju dish. Best way to enjoy leftover rotis.
Swati
October 15, 2019 at 5:08 pm
We call it baasi roti ki chaat and make it in a different way.. Your version looks so delicious.. some of the dishes made by mom are indeed very special and the taste stays with us for lifelong… loved reading the post..
mayurisjikoni
October 16, 2019 at 8:26 pm
Thank you so much Swaty, it seems there are so many similarities in dishes that we make.
Malini Vivekananthan
August 4, 2020 at 4:46 pm
It’s a great recipe, I have made something similar with the leftover roti but I did not try with water and yogurt. The name itself sounds different for me. It’s nice to know different recipes. Will give a try soon.
mayurisjikoni
August 4, 2020 at 7:39 pm
Thank you so much Malini, its a common snack for Gujjus with leftover roti and parathas too. Please do try out the recipe.
Niranjana Sankaranarayanan
August 4, 2020 at 7:40 pm
Oh wow!! This is an interesting way to use leftover rotis. I have not heard about this recipe. It is also so simple to make and one of the best ways to use leftover rotis.
mayurisjikoni
August 4, 2020 at 7:46 pm
Thank you so much Niranjana, please do try the recipe. Its a gujju speciality.
Amrita
August 6, 2020 at 4:08 pm
Each Indian state has there own way to use the leftover rotis… I liked this Gujarati version and I agree with you whenever we try to make mom’s dish, we feel there is something missing…very useful post
Amrita
August 6, 2020 at 4:09 pm
Each Indian state has their own way to use the leftover rotis… I liked this Gujarati version and I agree with you whenever we try to make mom’s dish, we feel there is something missing…very useful post
mayurisjikoni
August 6, 2020 at 9:53 pm
Thank you so much Amrita. Mum’s food is the best.
Preethicuisine
August 7, 2020 at 3:22 am
Best way to use left over rotis. Looks so appetising. No substitute to moms love and cooking. I would love to try this next time when I have left over rotis.
mayurisjikoni
August 7, 2020 at 5:16 pm
Thanks Preethi, please do try the recipe, quick, easy and yummy.
silicone wristbands nz
January 21, 2021 at 6:30 am
I truly value your work, Great post.
Jayashree T.Rao
February 14, 2022 at 6:05 am
Vaghreli Roti is quite new to me, sounds delicious and a good way to make use of the leftover rotis. I need to try sometime. Nice tribute to your mom Mayuri.
mayurisjikoni
February 17, 2022 at 2:52 pm
Thank you so much Jayashree. Please do try the recipe, am sure you’ll love it.
Amrita Roy
February 15, 2022 at 5:24 am
I really like how in olden days people thought about such wonderful recipes to use the leftover food. The dish gets a complete makeover and turns into a whole new dish. liked it very much
mayurisjikoni
February 15, 2022 at 2:08 pm
Thank you Amrita. And I totally agree with you. Vaghareli rotli is a family favourite.
Priya Vj
February 17, 2022 at 8:48 am
I love vaghareli roti but this version with yogurt is really delicious. I normally make the dry version but will definitely try out your recipe as this seems more filling and delicious.
mayurisjikoni
February 17, 2022 at 2:42 pm
Thank you Priya. I have not tried the dry version. Would love to try that. We love the one with yogurt.
Seema Sriram
February 17, 2022 at 3:17 pm
Such a delightful recipe to use rotis. I love the notes on remembering mum. They are God sent angels in our life.
mayurisjikoni
February 19, 2022 at 4:47 pm
Thank you so much Seema. And I miss my mum so much.
Donica
November 29, 2023 at 12:17 pm
Such a lovely memory of childhood comfort food and tribute to your mum. I absolutely love vaghareli rotli and so does my daughter – it’s always warming in the cold winter. We sometimes also add in sweetcorn and peppers at the end for a tasty and slightly healthier alternative. My recipe is slightly different where I make up the yoghurt first like a thick lassi but with a little red chilli, turmeric, jeera and salt before mixing into the toasted rotli and vaghar/green chilli/garlic/ginger mix.
mayurisjikoni
November 29, 2023 at 7:37 pm
Thank you so much. Donica,my aunt makes it your style by making thick chaas first. Each family has its own way of making vaghareli rotli. Love the idea of adding corn and peppers to make it more wholesome. Thank you so much for checking out my blog post.